Evaluation of the hypothesis

In light of the group socialization theory, I agree to the hypothesis posed in this study that the current formal educational system in Uganda is responsible for the observed bad behaviours among school going children in Ankole diocese. But the school factor worked along side other factors. According to the group socialization theory, behaviour patterns and cultural transmission occurs in groups. Since, in schools children are brought together in large numbers with differing backgrounds, they end up making up groups within themselves based on age, sex, interests, which in turn lead to a creation of a complex peer system

By looking at the curriculum of Universal High and Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary Schools, it was realised that the design of curriculum had little attention on peer systems and peer relations which was a fundamental cause of the bad behaviours observed among schoolchildren.

It was noted that the teacher-pupil relation was prioritized in the curriculum in that it became the sole means by which the teachers passed on the information, attitudes and values they wanted to impart to the children. However, according to the observations, interviews and various interactions with the school children, it was realised that a large part of the information, attitudes and behaviours which were acquired by the schoolchildren were derived from the complex and virtually complex peer system as illustrated in figure 6.1 below

Figure 6.1: Factors contributing to a complexity of peer system among school going children

Figure 6.1 illustrates that there are a lot of factors as regards observable school going children in Ankole rather than one single factor of formal education.

First the children are oriented by various habits and behaviours from their homes resulting from interplay of the social- cultural environment and issues to deal with the levels of adapting to equipments of modernity.

It was noted that children who were aggressive to other children and community members, came from families where they was a lot of domestic violence. In such homes of aggressive children, various abusive words were used one a daily basis and parents fighting in the presence of children was the order of the day. It was further

Social- cultural environment

Students‟ behaviours pattern at school and community

Children‟s Home experiences

Students‟ exposure to modernization issues, TV, internet, Radio,

Newspapers, discos Limited School

policy on children behaviours

Complex peer systems among school going

children

uncovered that some stubborn children came from families with various social cultural norms and values adopted from other or their tribes and many of them were contrary to those of the Ankole. In such families abusing or bullying ones was not a serious issue to raise concern according to their cultural traditional. It should be noted that Ankole diocese is composed of people from various tribes like Lugubalas, itesos, Nyarwandas, Bakiga, and Acholis who migrated from other parts of the country as a result of various factors ranging from political insecurity, social and economic hardships.

Other stubborn children came from well to do families which had acquired some form modernization as regards possession of electronic like Televisions, radios, video decks, CD players among other which all together trained children in various behaviours from other tribes. It was noted that children coming from these well do families had access to pornographic materials, aggressive films via the televisions and these oriented the children to behave in way which they saw as advanced but contrary to the norms and values of Ankole

From figure 6.1, it is shown that after children have been oriented in a complex diversity behaviours resulting from the underlying social cultural environment and the modernization issues, they are brought to schools to learn various aspects as regards reading, writing, counting among others. It was uncovered that though children were brought to Universal High and Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary Schools with a purpose of learning, the same schools as a pooling centre where children from various backgrounds came together and share their lived experiences from their homes. In such environment, children who were ignorant about the bad behaviour patterns started to learn them from fellow children

This meant that the social organization of the school not only served as a place of acquisition of the knowledge and skills it wanted to impart, but also gave rise to systems of interpersonal habits, emotions and feelings that contained more than what was taught by the teachers. According to the interviews with the headmasters of Universal High and Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary Schools, it was realised that the relations that schoolmates establish among themselves during daily life at school and on the way when going home were out side their vision and were a closed book to

the teachers. For example love affairs, drug abuse, bullying, poor dressing code, poor greeting habits among others. Such behaviour pattern fit very well in the Prochaska's and DiClemente's model whereby some children of Universal High and Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary Schools went to school when they did not have bad behaviours (pre-contemplation stage) since they did not have information or any idea about them.

Upon reaching school, children set various interpersonal relationships which resulted into a complex web of peer systems in which information on the various behaviours was received (contemplation). Information about various habits made the children to prepare themselves so that they can taste or take action. Those who took action and realised the benefits of associating themselves with such habits, they had to maintain thus resulting into the observed behaviour pattern among school children in Ankole diocese.

Thus, the day-to-day social interaction of schoolmates changed their behaviour patterns and attitudes that departed from the values of society. This observation is consistent with that fact that peer systems set the seal of approval on some social behaviour patterns seen as specific to them which convinces other children that the social behaviours are their own and most genuine social reference system (Hartup, 1978).

However, the current formal education system is not wholesomely bad as the study from the Universal High and Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary Schools revealed. It has to a greater extent contributed much in various circles like creation of awareness among children on various issues like dangers of early pregnancies, ways through which AIDS is spread, systems, how it is prevented among others. Children have also acquired various skills as regards first aid, sanitation, personal hygiene among others.

Formal education has contributed to the literacy levels of the children whereby most of them know how to write and read. The problem with the current formal education was too many children to be school oriented rather than home oriented. This made it difficult for the children to learn various skills from their parents as well as helping them in the daily activities

In summary, this chapter has shown the importance of the peer system in influencing school going behaviour pattern rather than the current formal education a lone. In addition to the peer system, there are other social context variables which certainly play an important role in the emergence of children behaviours. Children‟s socialization experiences with parents or guardians have significant influence on children‟s behaviours in the peer group as we have seen in this chapter.